Slags for Ladle and

Tundish
Iain D. Sommerville
Department of Materials Science &
Engineering
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario,
Canada M5S 3E4

Slags for Ladle and Tundish

Key Points:
Points:

1. Any oxidizing slag carried over from the furnace into the ladle
ladle has to
be reduced (killed) before really effective deoxidation and
desulphurization of the steel can be carried out.

2. The slags (or fluxes) play a vital role in the post-

post-furnace treatment of
steel.

3. Slags in the ladle and tundish can and should be custom-

custom-designed
to achieve certain metallurgical objectives and thus there are key
key
factors in designing slags for use in the ladle and tundish.
tundish.

4. These slags should in general be highly basic and reducing (i.e. low
in oxygen potential).

5. The viscosity and interfacial tension are important physical

properties since they have a critical influence on the rate of slag
slag--
metal reactions and also on the entrainment of slags during steel
transfer steps.
2
Slag carryover increases
Furnace taphole wear
Lining wear in ladle
Lance costs
Alloy consumption
Consumption of deoxidants
Inclusion content
Phosphorus reversion

Every effort should be made to minimise the

amount of slag carried over. However, if this

amount is not consistent, it is important to

know for each heat how much this is. Methods

for measuring this include the use of three

probes and microwaves.

4
Fig. Percent off-
off-analysis heats due to slag-
slag-related
issues.
5

Any oxidizing slag carried over from the furnace

into the ladle has to be reduced (killed) before
really effective deoxidation and desulphurization
of the steel can be carried out. This is normally
done by addition of aluminum or ferro - silicon,
which also provides heat for the process.
Alternatively, where carbon pick - up is not a
serious issue, calcium carbide can be used.
This has the huge advantage that the major
deoxidation product is gaseous CO, which burns
to CO2 in the air, while the CaO helps to flux Al2O3
inclusions. Another advantage is that one pound
of carbon reacts with as much oxygen as one and
half pounds of aluminum.
6
Functions of the Ladle Slag
To protect the liquid steel from reaction with the
atmosphere
„ Reduce reoxidation
„ Reduce hydrogen and nitrogen pick-up

To provide thermal insulation

To provide a reservoir for the absorption of

inclusions

To act as a refining medium for desulphurization

7

Ladle Slag Criteria

Must Fluidize quickly
Must have a large capacity for deoxidation
product to avoid saturation with it.
Must have a large capacity for any
residual elements to be removed from
steel.
Must be low in FeO and MnO
Must have a low viscosity
Must have a high interfacial tension
8
Fig. The phase diagram of the CaO-
CaO-Al2O3 system(Nurse
et al).
9

Possible Problems with

"Calcium Aluminate"
Can be:

1)A mechanical mixture of lime and bauxite, with no

chemical bonding between CaO and Al2O3.

2) A mechanical mixture of recycled slag and lime and /or

alumina
- B.F. slag has a high SiO2 content and an
appreciable sulphur content
- Ladle slag has an appreciable sulphur content.

3) Composed of materials with a wide range of particle

sizes from powder to pieces 1-2" in major dimension. 10
 Desired Properties of Calcium
Should have:
Aluminate
1)A substantial proportion of the CaO and Al2O3 chemically combined by
sintering or fusion. This will result in faster fusion and faster dissolution of any
additional CaO and Al2O3 , thus saving both time and energy in the ladle.

2)A low liquidus temperature

3)The ability to absorb Al2O3 inclusions

4)A relatively low SiO2 content (<7%)

5)A low sulphur content

6)An appropriate MgO content to make it compatible with the slag line
refractories

7)A relatively small and uniform particle size

- a high ratio of surface area to volume
- a reduced tendency to segregation during storage and handling. 11

Functions of the Tundish Flux

1. Thermal insulation of liquid steel
2. Protection of liquid steel from reoxidation
3. Absorption of non-metallic inclusions

Tundish Slag Criteria

•Melt and spread quickly
•Large solubility for inclusions
•Must not attack refractories too aggressively
•Stable
•Intermediate viscosity
•High interfacial tension
12
 Component Rice Husk Calcium
[wt%] aluminate
[wt%]
SiO2 90.0 6.9
Al2O3 0.2 29.1
TiO2 0.1 1.4
Fe2O3 0.2 0.8
CaO 0.6 52.8
MgO 0.4 1.0
MnO 0.2 0.1
P2O5 0.4 0.1
Na2O 0.1 0.2
Melting range 1500 1370
(oC) 1560 1390

Table . Composition of the two fluxes used during

experiments in BOS No.2. 13

Fig. Effect of basic powders on Al2O3-level in the steel in

the mould as measure for the steel cleanliness. O(Al) is
oxygen in alumina .
14
Power Type A B C D

C% 11~15 4 3 double layer

SiO2% 85 53 40 above layer is rice

husk
CaO/SiO2 0 0.26 1.03 second layer is
power C

Table . Cover powder type on tundish.

15

Fig. Relation between cover powder basicity and Al2O3

pick-
pick-up in the tundish.
tundish.
16
Fig. Relation between powder basicity and oxygen content
of steel in the tundish.
tundish.
17

Fig. Effect of cover powder type on inclusion removal

efficiency in the tundish.
tundish.
18
 ‘Ca’
Ca’ Tundish Weirs and Dams Non-
Non-Active
Powder (Active) plus Non-
Non-Active Tundish Powder
Tundish Powder
% Slabs 88 64 44
No Defects
% Slabs Isolated 1 33 27
Pinholes
% Slabs Isolated 11 3 26
Slag Spots
% Slabs Mass 0 0 3
Pinholes/Slag Spots
Average No. of 0.009 0.05 0.46
Pinholes/m2
Average No. of 0.008 0 0.03
Cracks/m2
Average No. of Slag 0.06 0.03 0.49
Spots/m2

Table . Effect of active tundish slag on slab quality.

19